


Needs A Little Work(But We’re Making Progress)

by DrawingsAndDreams



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Confused Naegi Makoto, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Ishimaru Kiyotaka gets a hug, Ishimaru Kiyotaka needs a hug, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, am I salty?, the canon divergence is that everyone cares a little more about Kiyotaka Ishimaru, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrawingsAndDreams/pseuds/DrawingsAndDreams
Summary: I’m salty about how Ishida and Taka’s characters were developed, especially during Chapter 3 of Trigger Happy Havoc. So, I made a canon divergence right after Chapter 2, so that almost everyone gives a bit more of a damn about him and the issues going on besides Alter Ego(who I love with all my soul still). So, here we are. Every chapter will be a different character’s opinion on the Ishida matter, and how they help take care of him and Taka as a whole.Obviously, there’s gonna be a lotta changed events at some points, so strap on in for a wild ride.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90





	Needs A Little Work(But We’re Making Progress)

Makoto Naegi was used to the things that went on at Hope’s Peak Academy at this point. Many of the others had grown a thick skin already, and he was starting to feel that on himself too. Still though...something about this whole situation…

Unnerved him.

Maybe he should clarify things in his head first. His mantra at this point was that it was better to get a clear view of the current situation that he faced. It definitely helped out during the trials…

Speaking of which...That’s where it all started, didn’t it? If Sayaka hadn’t...No. He shouldn’t be thinking about what did and what could’ve happened. Or what could’ve been prevented. It wasn’t the time to think about her, or Leon, or Chihiro, or even Mondo. No. Right now, it was best to think about Kiyotaka. Or, Kiyondo now, according to his other self.

Ah right. That was the thing he had to go over. The white haired boy with flaming eyes was different from the regular Ishimaru. To the point where Makoto wasn’t even sure what to call him anymore, in case of angering him. It really was a big deal at this point in his mind, and not a situation that the Ultimate Lucky Student would brush off easily.

So where did it begin?

__________________________________

It was after Mondo’s trial, Makoto supposed. Kiyotaka desperately begging on his knees to be taken instead of his best friend. All Makoto could do was turn his head away from the Moral Compass’ cries in shame. It seemed like a few of his other classmates had the same idea.

The Monokuma dragged Mondo away, and the execution began. They were locked on the other side of the gate again. Makoto wasn’t sure what to expect at first but…

Not this. Never this.

He wasn’t sure if he could ever get the stench of the human butter out of his nose or mind ever again. The Ultimate Lucky Student’s hair stood up on the back of his neck due to the crackling of electricity through the air. It was all drowned out by one consistent factor, though.

Ishimaru’s screams. The hall monitor scraped his hands as he tried to tear apart the gate, still begging and moving like a wild animal. The look in his eyes was desperate, and full of complete and utter despair.

Once the punishment was over and done with, the Monokuma had the nerve to put it on pancakes, telling some awful pun about how Mondo was in a “butter place” now. All while Ishimaru was hiccuping on the floor. At least he seemed to be calming down, since he wasn’t sobbing anymore.

He put a hand on his shoulders when he assumed the other was calm, “Taka, I’m-“

Instead of it being a comforting moment though, Ishimaru let out a guttural scream that seemed to even surprise Kyoko and Togami. The Lucky Student watched the other latch onto the gate, lightly rattling it as he broke down even further. Makoto bit the inside of his cheek, and tried to gently pry Ishimaru away, but he just wouldn’t budge. The Ultimate Lucky Student glanced at the others for any sort of help.

Hiro took a hesitant step forward. Even he couldn’t predict this one, is what Makoto guessed from his uncomfortableness that shone on his face. Even with Makoto and Hiro tugging at Ishimaru, telling him that it was time to go, the hall monitor still didn’t move. Just how strong was he, anyways?

Byakuya looked like he wasn’t going to be any help soon, from what he gathered from a single glance, and neither was Hifumi. (Though, Makoto would admit, he didn’t exactly trust them to help out anyways).

Makoto glanced between himself and Hiro, before looking at Sakura. She looked like she really didn’t want to use her strength to pry Ishimaru away from this moment, but...what else could they do? They couldn’t exactly just leave him down here in despair. She and the others didn’t really have much of a choice.

The Lucky Student flinched as The Ultimate Moral Compass began to beg Sakura to not be taken away, before it got louder and louder. Little whimpers of “Nonononononono-“ and “Please, I’m begging you!” grew louder and louder by the second. Makoto noticed that through all of it, the muscular girl stayed as gentle as possible with Ishimaru, gently removing his scraped hands from the gate and pulling him up and away from it all.

So, they all silently clambered into the elevator. What else was there to do? Ishimaru eventually quieted down, and stared blankly at the floor, his hands shaking. Makoto glanced between them all. Some seemed bothered, while others, like Genocider and Togami, merely seemed excited or a little annoyed.

Makoto should’ve known that the Monokuma wasn’t done with them yet though.

The bear was waiting at the top of the elevator, chuckling to itself, “Puhuhuhuhuhuhuh~! Wasn’t that fun now, kids! A few more executions and murders like that, and you’ll really get me goin!”

Makoto clenched his fist, and took a few deep breaths. Even though the stench wasn’t out of his nose, and his mind wasn’t exactly clear, he had to resist the urge to tackle the bear in front of them. He didn’t want to get hurt the same way Junko did. He glanced over at Ishimaru, and saw him begin to shake, his gaze still downtrodden and blank. Sakura placed a hand on the Moral Compass’ shoulder, and Makoto sighed in relief. Ok. This was fine. They could do this. They all just needed to relax a little.

The bear tilted its head, and grinned wider than usual, “Awwh, what? Did you guys not like the show? Cause I thought it was great! Best damn pancakes I’ve ever had!” 

It was Byakuya who surprisingly spoke up, sighing in exasperation, “...And what is it that you exactly want, bear?”

The Monokuma gasped and shivered, like what the heir said was a personal insult against its pride, “Now now! You shouldn’t say that to someone who brought you back a gift from the fair!~” It quickly turned by Ishimaru, and grabbed something behind its back, “Hey, hall monitor! Catch!”

It threw something at Ishimaru, and Makoto flinched, prepared for the worst. But...it was just..

Mondo’s jacket. 

Makoto felt himself pale, not knowing what could even happen because of this. He knew that the tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

Ishimaru just stood there as the jacket was tossed into his arms, and he was quivering like a leaf in the wind. Sakura kept her hand on his shoulder, while the Moral Compass clutched onto Mondo’s jacket in his arms like it was a lifeline. And without saying a word, he sharply jerked away from the muscular girl behind him, and ran off to his room, breaking his own rule that he applied to himself and everyone else on the daily.

The Monokuma continued to laugh louder and louder, and moved along to another distasteful joke, but Makoto wasn’t really paying attention. God, he thought, this whole thing was sick and cruel, especially on Taka’s end. Just how much more could he take?

Eventually though, the robotic bear left, and the class stood there in a mutual silence. Even Genocider seemed to be keeping quiet, aside from her occasional rocking. They all trickled out of the elevator one at a time after a few minutes, going to do their own things in order to cope with what just happened.

Makoto, however, went to Ishimaru. Almost running through the halls, but not quite. Even if the hall monitor wasn’t quite mentally ready to handle his duties, Makoto wanted to uphold the order that the other had put in place.

He knocked on Ishimaru’s dorm door, but there wasn’t an answer.

Makoto stayed outside of the Ultimate Moral Compass’ door until it was time for their student-instated curfew.

___________________________

Sakura and Aoi were the ones who were able to finally get Ishimaru out of his room after a lot of poking and prodding. He’d been there for a full day before the two had realized it was an issue. But something in particular scared Makoto.

Ishimaru was in a catatonic state, a permanent look of despair and shock stuck on his face. He’d barely eat, and he wouldn’t even speak to anyone.

And it wasn’t like the Ultimate Lucky Student hadn’t tried to talk to him, because he had. All conversation just kind of fell flat when the other wasn’t even responding, or making any motion that he had understood.

But at least people like Hagakure were still making an effort. Makoto watched him make jokes to Ishimaru in the dining hall, but it wasn’t really to any avail.

Still, Makoto had to admire the hope that Hagakure had for Ishimaru.

Then they had found Alter Ego.

Well, Hina had found Alter Ego. They had just followed her in order to investigate. Sure, Makoto knew it was wishful thinking to hope that it was the ghost of Chihiro, but at least it was some sort of lead.

The Ultimate Lucky Student felt a lot of things when he saw Chihiro’s face, ranging from extreme sadness to extreme happiness. He was happy to see some version of his friend again but...it wasn’t even fully that. The computer wasn’t Chihiro, no matter how much the computer appeared to be them.

What was worse was seeing Ishimaru’s reaction to it all. He watched as the hall monitor sobbed, blaming himself for what happened to Chihiro and Mondo. Makoto would’ve interrupted the other, since it absolutely wasn’t his fault at all, but then…

Mondo appeared on the screen.

Makoto’s eyes widened, and as the computerized doppelgänger tried to be encouraging and reassuring to Ishimaru, he looked at the rest of his classmates. Ah. Just what he thought. They were just as stunned as him in this situation, including Byakuya, but most were quickly trying to regain their composures already.

He looked back at Ishimaru, who seemed frozen in place at the whole ordeal. Alter Ego quickly appeared on screen again, explaining something about getting down Mondo’s speech patterns.

Makoto knew that didn’t matter, though. Ishimaru thought that the Mondo behind the screen was real. That it really was his “bro”. He could practically see the passion burning in the other’s eyes again. A newfound goal to work for. A reason to continue on and live.

The problem was, he didn’t know where the hall monitor’s goal would lead to, or even the specifics of it all. All he knew was that it was worrying...extremely worrying.

The Lucky Student didn’t think it could get any worse...before it absolutely did. Ishimaru was rambling about something incomprehensible. Or maybe Makoto was just too stunned to listen. All he knew was that there seemed to be a flash of bright light, before suddenly…

Makoto blinked. Why was Ishimaru’s hair white? And why were there flames practically coming out of his eyes?

Before he could voice his concerns though, Ishimaru started yelling. It wasn’t like how he normally yelled though. After days of living with the other, Makoto picked up on the tone. This though? It really did sound like a mixture of Mondo and Kiyotaka.

God, he needed a moment or two to process it all.

After Ishimaru’s sudden new appearance, everyone else seemed just as stunned, unsure of what exactly to say. The Ultimate Lucky Student sighed to himself, deciding that this probably needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, “...Taka? Buddy? What are you...What’s with the new look that you got there?” Was this something supernatural, like Hagakure always spoke about? Makoto found it hard to believe, but in this sort of situation...any and all possibility was on the table.

Ishimaru scoffed and laughed mockingly at Makoto, which made him flinch a little. The look on the other’s face was so much like Mondo’s, that it was kind of terrifying. The hall monitor smirked, and held his fists out in front of him, but it was in a much more aggressive manner, “Ishimaru? What the fudge are you talkin about, bro?!” He laughed even louder, and pointed his thumb toward himself, “Don’t call me that or Taka anymore! I’m a new person now with one heck of a new spirit!”

Makoto felt himself starting to shut down a bit, unaware of how to handle this whole thing in a proper manner. He would’ve been polite, maybe even comforted the hall monitor…

But then Byakuya sighed, turning to face the rest of the class with a pompous and poised attitude as always, deciding to speak up first, “Well, the hall monitor has clearly gone insane from the stress. I suggest that we lock him in his room...just in case he snaps even more than he already has.”

The said hall monitor growled, and took a few steps toward the heir, “I ain’t a hall monitor anymore! I’m a combination of my old, weak self, and Mondo’s spirit! I’m Kiyondo Ishida! And don’t fudging mess with me, you old ashtray!”

Byakuya simply just sneered at Ishida, and looked toward the Ultimate Lucky Student, motioning a little exasperatedly as if to prove his point.

Makoto sighed a little, realizing that he’d have to step up to handle everything, as always, “Taka...I mean, Ishida..Um..” He still wasn’t quite sure how to exactly take care of things though, “I think that you probably should...head back to your room for a moment or two. It might be the best thing for now. We don’t want anything bad to happen if...tempers flare up.”

Ishida scoffed and crossed his arms, and stared down the entire group for a moment or two, “Whatever! I had more important things to do anyways! See you later then, crapholes!” And with that, the flaming eyed boy stalked off to another location.

Makoto sighed in relief and his stress seemed to deflate a little. Another issue entirely was on the table now. What with Ishimaru’s new name and attitude, which confusingly included him cursing but not quite at the same time, it wore the Lucky Student out.

But...Taka was Makoto’s friend. And Makoto wanted to help him out. So that meant dealing with Byakuya right now.

He turned towards the heir and sighed, “Byakuya…”

The richer boy just smirked and raised an eyebrow, “What? I’m just telling it as it is. The one trick pony finally snapped. This certainly makes things somewhat more interesting…”

Makoto felt his head swim. Whenever Byakuya seemed something as interesting, it was never good, “Look. Taka’s...he’s not doing ok right now. Mondo and Chihiro...it really tore him up. Can you please leave him alone? For the time being, at least?”

Byakuya scoffed, “And why should I? Last time I checked, you are nothing more than a simple commoner. Even though you do seem to be more...perceptive than I thought.”

Now the Lucky Student was surprised. Byakuya? Almost complimenting someone? It was unheard of.

He couldn’t get caught off guard now though. Maybe that’s what the heir had planned, so that he’d forget all about it. Makoto may be slightly dense at times, but he wasn’t a complete idiot.

Before he could manage to say a word though, Hina spoke up, “...That really freaked me out too but...we can’t just lock him in his room! I mean, that’d be inhumane. Right Sakura?”

Sakura hummed softly in agreement, “She’s right. We have to deal with both issues now. What with this...Alter Ego, and Ishimaru’s new behavior.”

Kyoko sighed from where she was sitting with the computer that had Alter Ego on it, Celeste and Hifumi curiously looking over her shoulder at the program, “The matter at hand is getting out of this school. Ishimaru is an important asset, but so is Alter Ego…” She placed a hand on her chin, clearly starting to get lost in thought.

Hiro smiled a little dopily, and raised his hand, “I got a suggestion! How about we-“

Celeste cut him off, folding her hands together neatly, “Are you sure that it is an actual suggestion? Or is it just another lame brained idea of yours, hm?”

The clairvoyant looked a little offended at that, “Not all my suggestions are dumb….”

The Ultimate Gambler smirked, like she knew she was winning, “So, you realize that some of your suggestions are indeed, dare I say, idiotic?”

Makoto felt like he was getting a headache, “Can we stop fighting? Please? Look, any suggestion might be helpful with things right now, so let’s just let Hiro speak.”

The said man smiled in thanks, before continuing, “Anyways, before I was interrupted…” He glances at Celeste, “I was just sayin, why don’t we just watch over Taka a little more carefully than usual? We can even take shifts or somethin!”

Makoto paused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought it over, “That's...actually a pretty good idea.”

The Ultimate Clairvoyant grinned widely, and looked over at Celeste again, “See! I can have really good ideas!!”

She just sighed and ignored him, folding her hands gently over her dress.

Byakuya scoffed, which was expected, “And why would I do that? It seems like a waste of time. In this game, you have to look out for yourself.”

Makoto should’ve expected that much out of the heir, “Because he’s our friend, alright? Taka looked out for us a lot, so maybe we should...look out for him?”

A sadistic giggle stopped the Lucky Student from continuing onwards, though, as Genocider spoke up, “Honestly, it’s so cute to see him depressed like this! Why should we give that up??”

Before Makoto could reply to that point too, he was interrupted again. This time, by Hina, “Well I think that we should help him out! Cuz, doesn’t he always say that we should stick together? It could help out!”

Sakura nodded, standing menacingly behind her friend, “Hina does bring up a good point. I’m on board with this idea as well.”

Kyoko clicked a few keys on the keyboard, and shut the computer so that Hifumi couldn’t drool all over it, “I see. I suppose Ishimaru’s help would be as necessary as Alter Ego’s.”

The Ultimate Lucky Student smiled. Despite being interrupted, it seemed like most of them were on board with the idea, “Well then...if almost all of us are in agreement...then I guess it’s settled! Whoever doesn’t want to help doesn’t have to, but it really would be nice.”

He saw Celeste look at him, as she rested her chin on top of her hands gently, “...I think you all are forgetting something necessary. If we are indeed going to watch over Ishimaru, who shall go first?”

And of course, it always seemed like all eyes shot onto Makoto. Of course they’d want him to do it. It really did make the most sense. 

He scratched his cheek a little awkwardly, “I guess that...I can? Actually, it would be a good idea for me to check up on him right now…”

Kyoko smiled gently at him, before turning back to the computer, “Thank you for offering, Makoto. I’ll be in here in order to use Alter Ego to its fullest potential, and if anyone else wants to stay, they can.”

The Lucky Student smiled back, before exiting the room. Thankfully the dorms weren’t too far away from the sauna, so it wasn’t like he was walking from one floor to the next.

He went up to Ishimaru’s dorm room, but noticed that it was actually cracked slightly open. That was odd, the hall monitor always seemed to close and lock his door. Makoto decided to push it open a little more, and saw Taka on his bed, wearing something large around himself. Was it a blanket? He continued to peak in before realizing a few things.

One, Ishimaru’s hair and eyes were back to normal. Two, he was definitely crying by the sounds of his sniffling that filled the silence. And three...he was wearing Mondo’s jacket, which was far too big for him.

Something in Makoto’s heart broke a little, realizing what exactly he walked in on. The hall monitor was still grieving. It had only been a day since Mondo and Chihiro’s trial. God, had it really only been a day?

Soon the Moral Compass’ head quickly snapped towards Makoto’s direction. It seemed like he heard the door creaking a few seconds too late. Tears ran down his cheeks, and looked shocked and sorrowful.

He growled and got up, his hair turning white again as flames ignited in his eyes, “What the fudge do you think you’re doing here?!? Get out! GET OUT!” 

Makoto backed up a little, before realizing what he was here to do, “I...Ishida. I just...I’m worried about you. I didn’t mean to intrude on...a personal moment…” He eyes at the other’s jacket as evidence to his claim, and was barely able to utter the new name that was now Ishimaru’s.

Ishida clenched his fists, obviously furious with the Lucky Student. However, it appeared as if he was calming down a little bit, and wrapped Mondo’s jacket around himself more, “....Why? Don’t you guys have to deal with Ishimaru’s bro on the computer?”

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, confused as to why Ishida was technically referring to himself in third person, “I just...want to try to understand you more now that you’ve...decided to change. It...was a little confusing with all of the yelling.”

The other continued to glare at Makoto, crossing his arms, “...I thought I made myself pretty freakin’ clear. I ain’t Ishimaru, and I ain’t Mondo. They were weak! Together, I’m the stronger one! So just forget about calling me Ishimaru anymore!”

Makoto was still deeply confused. Was Ishida referring to himself in fourth person, technically? That was a question he’d have to ask someone later though, since he was still talking to the Moral Compass, “...Alright. I may not fully understand it but...are you happy like this?”

He swore that he saw a flicker of Ishimaru’s black hair fade in as Ishida stood there shocked, but it was gone in a quick burst, “...What?”

The Lucky Student repeated his point, “I...are you happy like this? I know that you said that you wanted to better yourself...but I don’t think that anybody minded you as the person you used to be, Ishida.”

Ishida’s eyes seemed to burn in fury, “I...of course I’m happy like this! I have to be! I’m fudging stronger! Don’t talk any of that crap to me, you’re trying to confuse me on purpose!”

Makoto seemed to realize that what he said wasn’t really helping, “No! I just...I’m worried. Most of the others are too, Ishida. You’re...my friend. Or..you were when you were Ishimaru?...Are we…” He stayed silent for a moment, before looking into Ishida’s eyes, “...We’re still friends, right? Even if you are a...different person.”

That stopped the Moral Compass in his tracks again, and he paused for a few moments, looking at the ground, “....I suppose...Ishimaru and Mondo’s friendship with you was...fine. It’s freakin...Fine! We’re still fudgin friends! Can you just shut your mouth already!”

He blinked, and a soft smile grew across his face, “Good. That’s good. And...you know what friends do, right?”

“What?”

“They talk to each other...about their problems.”

That caused Ishida to grow silent once more, and Makoto hummed in satisfaction.

Eventually though, Ishida wrapped the coat around himself more, looking tired, “...Look. Can you just get the heck outta my room now? I’m doin my own thing here.”

The Ultimate Lucky Student realized that this wasn’t a time to push and prod at Ishida, so he nodded, and began to make his leave, “Don’t forget to lock your door though...ok? You don’t want anyone else to walk in on you...right?”

Ishida nodded, and went over to the door, moving to lock it after Makoto got out of his room, “...Right. Bye, Makoto.” 

Makoto sighed when the door was locked, but smiled when he heard the familiar click of a lock. It may not have been the best way to handle things, and the situation definitely needed more work, but…

It was progress. And as long as the Moral Compass made progress with handling the grief, Makoto would feel better about his friend feeling better.

But still, it needed work.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave any comments that you’d like! Hopefully the first chapter went well enough!


End file.
